Top 20 Payroll & Benefits Software Site on the Web

The Web may be a near-endless repository of all knowledge, but it's also home to an incredibly large amount of unsubstantiated statements and spurious facts—a dilemma that can leave even the most seasoned payroll professional with questions about the relevance and usefulness of a particular payroll source. To cut through all that extraneous information Payroll Lab has rounded up a selection of some of the best payroll and benefits sources for you to check out. In no particular order (because it depends entirely on your own needs and preferences as to which of the following sources take the top spot), here are our picks for the top 20 payroll and benefit links for executives and technology professionals. From articles to blogs to white papers, webinars, and community forums; they're all here—each with a short description to help you quickly find a favorite.

With over 30 years of payroll education, the American Payroll Association (APA) site is packed with useful information on all things payroll, including of course, technology. With a tight U.S. focus and a network of chapters providing access to state-specific resources and advice, the 'payroll browser' can find buyer's guides, vendor directories, case studies and more. As backers of National Payroll Week, the APA has also embraced the Social Media Age with groups on Facebook and LinkedIn and a Pay News Network channel on YouTube.

Naomi Bloom is a highly-experienced HRM consultant with a strong bias to the technological side (she started as a programmer writing payroll programs for John Hancock Life Insurance. Her In Full Bloom blog consistently features insightful and cutting posts that take a very, very non-nonsense approach to advice on all aspects of software selection, implementation and improvement.

Webster Buchanan Research specialize in multi-country payroll, hosting regular summits on both sides of the Atlantic and providing regular news, research, analysis and comment on the world of global payroll online through its Payroll Strategist resource page.

Kronos offer leading workforce management, HR and payroll software solutions. The Kronos website also offers an impressive collection of analyst reports from the likes of Gartner, Forrester Research, the Aberdeen Group, Nucleus, IDC and the Technology Evaluation Center. Some of these reports and white papers are here because they focus on a Kronos product but most offer a broader representation of the latest industry research.

Bill Kutik founded the HR Technology Conference (the Conference LinkedIn group has over 10,000 members and any HR/Payroll practitioner could do worse than tap into the group's discussions and expertise) and, as a long-standing technology columnist for HR Executive Online, he is a leading industry 'name' in the field of HCM technology information.

Personnel Today is a UK HR and payroll magazine containing the latest news, views, and editorials focused on the UK (and occasionally European) scene. However, on a more widely applicable basis, Personnel Today currently offer over a dozen guides that together provide an entry point into whatever element of payroll software acquisition and use you might need.

Jim Jacques is an HR and payroll professional with 18 years' experience of hands-on use of several market-leading vendor applications, starting with PeopleSoft and moving through Oracle, SAP and Lawson before settling (for now) on Ultimate Software for payroll processing. Jim maintains his Payroll Blogger site to share his practical experience and collaborate and learn with like-minded payroll professionals.

Carol Harnett has been HR Executive Online's regular benefits columnist since 2009, applying her specialist experience gained through her consultancy work and positions such as chair of the Health and Performance Innovation Institute Board to provide readers with insight and new thinking on employee health and benefits management.

SyBiz Software is Australia-born and bred (with a period of being owned by Sage before a management 'buy back' in 2005) and over the years has extended its HR and payroll software reach to New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and the UK and Ireland. When it comes to technological thought leadership from the Southern Hemisphere, their stated mission is, "to provide you with all the information you need to make smart business decisions." The payroll blogs are largely penned by Managing Director, Peter Whalley and offer to-the-point, common sense advice on the acquisition, use and replacement of payroll software. No fancy marketing ploys, just a straightforward information resource.

The International Payroll Center, is an online membership-only community run by Webster Buchanan Research. Featuring regular postings from WB founder Keith Rodgers, the site offers insight and comment, tracking the latest models in multi-country payroll provision, pricing structures and service models. The IPC offers an opportunity for global payroll practitioners to discuss, debate, and collaborate.

One way to know a payroll software vendor (and potential business partner) better is to read the company blog. Does it offer genuinely useful posts or is it an endless succession of puff pieces designed to push the product? Happily, Sage's UK blog is firmly in the former camp and is a mine of relevant information, freely available to customers and non-customers alike who operate in the UK (or perhaps are thinking of doing so).

The Employer Solutions Blog is another Sage information source, but this one is more focussed on U.S. small to medium-sized businesses. The payroll and compensation section offers a regular series of helpful prompts, best practices and 'how-to' guides covering topics essential to the smaller business owner such as payroll cards, healthcare reform in 2012 and year end processing and compliance.

A global association with chapters in the Americas, Asia Pacific, and Europe, the HR Outsourcing Association (HROA) was founded in 2003 and is its aim is to become the single recognized community for improving the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of outsourcing. Aside from the payroll webinars and articles available on the website, the HROA has also established a KPMG-led best HR software group, looking at standards and best practice in payroll and time and attendance.

As one of the big three U.S. payroll service providers, it may be fair to assume that Paychex know their subject. With that in mind, you may wish to take a look at the collection of payroll white papers on the Paychex website. Covering topics such as legislative compliance, 401(k) plans and payroll for entrepreneurs, this resource contains much of use to the U.S. employer or small business payroll manager.

HRWorld is an online magazine and community resource for HR and payroll professionals. The payroll section includes white papers, articles and the opportunity to 'Ask the Experts' when you have a specific burning question. With software reviews and an upcoming Buzz section which collects relevant blog posts from across the web, HRWorld aims to be become your indispensable resource.

The self-proclaimed inventors and leading provider of integrated global payroll services, Patersons manage payroll for clients across more than 160 countries and 20 languages. While the company blog contains a to-be-expected degree of self-promotion, it also offers an ongoing series of country overviews, outlining the key points of payroll management in Spain, Russia, Brazil, South Africa and Australia with more to come, no doubt.

HRlab.com offers a focused HR software blog which covers the majority of the HCM, HR and payroll software vendor solutions. The website provides HR and payroll software reviews that are objective and performed by experts.

If your payroll is outsourced or managed through a shared service arrangement, the Shared Services & Outsourcing Network may have some resources of interest. Looking to bring together practitioners, providers and advisors with common interests, the site offers blogs, articles, research, world news items and community forums, all enabling the imparting and sharing of advice and information in a globally collaborative environment.

Namesake and founder of global payroll provider Patersons, entrepreneur Karen Paterson is now CEO of Acrede, provider of cloud-based HR and payroll services. Previously recognized as entrepreneur of the year in the Stevie, CBI and Fast Growth awards, Karen Paterson often features as a radio guest and presenter at business conferences and has a reputation for dynamic opinions and for not pulling her punches in their delivery. One place to access some of her views on payroll and outsourcing is in her column for Outsource magazine.

Payroll software solutions are increasingly cloud-based as the SaaS deployment wave continues to rise. The Cloud Computing Showcase is administered by the THINKstrategies consultancy and seeks to help businesses find the right SaaS solution while allowing vendors to better market their SaaS offerings. As at May 2012, the Showcase website carries listings of 44 SaaS payroll vendors.